The McCorkle School Winning Words Production of
THE BUSINESS MAN
Featuring Jamirez Clay, Roosevelt Busby, and Damen Robinson
Characters: President G.W. Bush, President Elect Barack Obama, and the mysterious ghostly philosopher
Bush and Obama meet under mysterious circumstances
Bush: Meet me at the White House.
Obama: Fine man: are you sure McCain has not been there?
Bush: No, he has not.
Obama: Thank you. I will meet you there
At the White House, in the Oval Office
Bush: I do not know how to explain this, but the White House appears to be haunted by the ghost of an
ancient philosopher. It scares me, and I wanted to warn you about it, before you move in.
Obama: The pressure has really been getting to you, huh?
Bush: No, no—it really happens. Look, here it comes!
The mysterious ghostly philosopher appears. It looks like the father of modern philosophy, Socrates
Obama: This is weird. It is seriously testing my cool.
Bush: This thing just started appearing about the time of the election. I prayed for guidance, and all of a
sudden this ghost started visiting me. It keeps holding out its hand to me, but I keep running away.
There it goes again!
Obama: Look, it has something in its hand, something round and golden.
Bush: It looks like a, a ring—is this the ring of power or something?
The Ghost Speaks: This is the ancient ring of Gyges, spoken of by my student Plato in the Republic. It will
reveal what kind of person you really are.
Obama steps forward and takes the ring. He offers it to Bush, who shrinks back. So, he puts it on
himself and instantly turns invisible. Bush starts hopping up and down.
Bush: Obama where are you? What happened? Has the ghost done something to you?
Obama takes off the ring and reappears.
Obama: I remember reading about this when I studied philosophy. Plato wrote a story about how his
teacher Socrates was challenged to prove that a just and fair person would still act justly and fairly even
if given this ring—that is, even if he could turn himself invisible and steal and get away with all sorts of
things, he would not do that kind of stuff.
Bush: Huh? Did he really prove that?
Obama: Well, I remember that his argument made me think hard about lots of different things, including
justice and fairness.
Bush: Yeah, but now that you have the ring, how will you act? Will you still do the same things, even
when no one is watching? Not even the press? You know, I am kind of glad that you are the one with
the ring.
Obama: Yeah, and I am kind of glad that this did not come up in the presidential debates. I wonder if
the president should have a council of philosophical advisors. I am serious.
The Ghost Speaks: Yes, people need to think about how they should live their lives. Philosophy is the
most serious business of all.